C20 He Picked up the Helmet and Pretended to be Someone Else.

Tang Bing's fire truck led the way, with Zhao Dagang casually steering the bus behind as they made their way toward the Bluestar Branch.

Midway, Tang Bing abruptly pulled over to the roadside. Zhao Dagang hastily followed suit, poking his head out to inquire, "What's up?"

"Nothing major, just hold on a sec!" Tang Bing exited the vehicle to scrutinize the area. Once he was sure there were no zombies lurking, he dashed over to a toppled motorcycle and snagged a slightly cracked helmet.

The helmet, though damaged, boasted a defense boost of +1—a modest feature. But for Tang Bing, the helmet's stats were beside the point. Clutching it, he approached the bus and briefed Zhao Dagang and Sun Meng, "When we arrive, I'll don the helmet and keep quiet. Should they have any questions, you two handle it, got it?"

"Why's that?" Zhao Dagang asked, puzzled.

"Bing, you're not seriously going to kill someone, are you?" Sun Meng interjected, visibly shaken. "I mean... can't we talk this out?"

"You think I'm kidding?" Tang Bing retorted icily. "If you're not on board, then take off in the bus by yourself."

Sun Meng, desperate, turned to Zhao Dagang, silently pleading for him to intervene. In a city teeming with zombies and scant survivors, wasn't mutual aid and support essential?

"No worries here!" Zhao Dagang surprisingly agreed without hesitation. "Just tell me what to do. I've never done this, so I'm worried I might mess up."

Sun Meng was at a loss for words. Instead of dissuading Tang Bing, Zhao Dagang was asking for instructions.

"I've got a plan, so I don't need your help," Tang Bing stated calmly. "Just don't spill the beans, and play along with me. You won't have to lift a finger; I'll handle the dirty work."

"Okay, but what exactly should we do?" Zhao Dagang pressed for details.

"First off," Tang Bing asked, fixing Zhao Dagang with a serious look, "do you know someone named Zhao Dali?"

"He's got a name similar to mine, just one character off," Zhao Dagang mused, then shook his head. "Nope, don't know him. No one by that name in my village."

Convinced Zhao Dagang wasn't lying, Tang Bing nodded. "Soon, we'll use the fire truck to rescue the survivors. You two will be in charge of getting them onto the bus and settled. Clear?"

"Loud and clear!" Zhao Dagang boomed back.

"Next," Tang Bing continued, "I'll single out a few survivors. Make up an excuse to bring them to the fire truck with me. Tell them we're ditching the truck because it's out of gas and we need to transfer the food from it to the bus."

"There's food on the fire truck? How much?" Zhao Dagang's interest was piqued.

"Idiot..." Sun Meng, though reluctant to engage in this grim conversation, couldn't help but chime in after Zhao Dagang's question. "He's tricking them. There's no actual food on the fire truck!"

"Oh!" Realization dawned on Zhao Dagang. "Got it! So, do we have any food?"

"It's in another vehicle. We'll grab it after the rescue," Tang Bing explained, donning the motorcycle helmet. "Follow my lead and don't screw this up. I'll deal with the rest. Help me out, and I'll ensure you're taken to the military sanctuary."

"You got it!" Zhao Dagang slapped his chest confidently.

"There won't be any slip-ups, right?" Tang Bing's gaze shifted to Sun Meng behind the visor.

Sun Meng, though unable to see Tang Bing's expression, felt his eyes on her and nodded slightly. "I'll do my best..."

"Good, let's roll out!" Tang Bing hopped back into the fire truck and, with Zhao Dagang and the others in tow, sped off to the Bluestar Branch building.

Upon their return, the majority of zombies had been drawn away, leaving only a handful roaming nearby. They crushed the stragglers with the vehicle, leaving none behind.

It was unfortunate that the zombies killed by the vehicle didn't count for experience points; otherwise, Tang Bing would have leveled up.

"They're back!" The sight of the bus had been a beacon of hope for those inside the company building. Qin Mengyao, having shaken off her earlier despair, felt a renewed sense of endurance at the sight of the rescue vehicles. She shouted in delight when she saw the bus return, this time accompanied by a fire truck.

The 37 survivors erupted in cheers. The zombies below had been either distracted or eliminated, and the fire truck swiftly parked beneath their window.

"It's got to be the military! They promised to rescue us yesterday!" Zhang Tao exclaimed, elated. "See? I didn't mislead anyone. We're all going to make it out of here safely!"

"Thank you, Director Zhang!"

"We're so lucky Director Zhang got in touch with the military!"

"Absolutely! Without Director Zhang, we might have starved right here!"

"Now we're talking! The military sanctuary is bound to have plenty of food; no more worrying about hunger!"

"And the troops have guns to keep us safe!"

"It's such a relief... such a relief."

The mood was jubilant, with some people so overwhelmed with relief that they burst into tears. The past days had been harrowing, the threat of zombies weighing heavily on their minds.

"Mengli, we're going to be safe now!" Zhang Tao approached Qin Mengli, speaking softly, "I'll request some food from the military soon. Just hang in there a little longer."

"Mmm," Qin Mengli glanced at him, nodding faintly.

Her disappointment in Zhang Tao was tempered by the prospect of imminent safety and sustenance, lifting her spirits.

As the fire truck neared, the ladder was extended and positioned by the window.

"Are we supposed to go down this way?" Several female employees peered down nervously at the daunting height, feeling weak at the knees. "It's so high!"

"Don't worry!" Qin Mengli reassured them before Zhang Tao could speak. "The ladder is perfectly safe, and there's no danger. See the railings? They'll keep us from falling out."

"Exactly! Firefighters use this method to rescue people all the time, and there's never been an accident," Zhang Tao added with a reassuring smile. "We're all going to make it out safely."

With comforting words from Qin Mengli and Zhang Tao, the survivors began to regain their composure.

Zhao Dagang and Sun Meng disembarked from the bus and stood by the fire truck, vigilantly scanning for any sign of zombies.

The ground floor of the Bluestar Branch office was teeming with zombies, but they were effectively barricaded by furniture and reinforced doors and windows.

"I'll bring the people down in groups. You two take them to the bus," Tang Bing instructed from the fire truck.

"Got it!" Zhao Dagang gave a firm nod, while Sun Meng, still visibly anxious, knew Tang Bing had a darker task at hand.

Tang Bing wasn't adept at operating the ladder, so it took a bit of time to get it right.

Once the ladder was in place, Zhang Tao quickly had Zhao Dali and Jiaang Hefei open the window and dismantle the protective bars.

"Young Master Zhang, who's going down first?" Zhao Dali inquired.

"Let's not take any chances. We men will check it out first!" Zhang Tao said, leaping onto the ladder as the sound of frenzied scratching from below filled the air.

Following his lead, Zhao Dali, Jiaang Hefei, and the other male employees ascended, leaving behind only those concerned for their girlfriends.

Qin Mengyao watched, a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. She doubted Zhang Tao's intentions were noble; there was nothing to scout. He was simply eager to escape the peril.

True colors shine through in times of crisis. She had never imagined Zhang Tao could be so self-centered. A little selfishness was tolerable under normal circumstances, but in life-or-death situations, his self-preservation was bitterly disappointing.

As the ladder began its descent, the men, including Zhang Tao, wore smiles of elation and relief. Qin Mengli's thoughts involuntarily turned to Tang Bing. Would he have made her safety his priority? In such dire straits, surely he would have carefully escorted her to safety first.

She shook her head, dismissing these thoughts. Why did he occupy her mind when she didn't even like him? Habit, it seemed, was indeed a formidable force.

Once the first group reached the ground, Zhao Dagang and Sun Meng were there to greet them.

"Are you with the military?" Zhang Tao asked, eyeing the oddly dressed pair—a country bumpkin and a frail-looking girl—with skepticism. He glanced back at the fire truck driver, a bizarre figure in a motorcycle helmet and suit, and his doubts grew.

Before Zhao Dagang could respond, Sun Meng stepped in with a smile. "We're not military. We came to escort you to the military sanctuary after seeing your SOS on the forum!"

"Oh," Zhang Tao acknowledged, "Just the three of you?"

"Yes," Sun Meng confirmed, her smile masking a twinge of irritation at Zhang Tao's dismissive tone.

"And who's that secretive fellow?" Zhang Tao gestured toward Tang Bing, now raising the ladder for the next descent.

"He's our boss, the one who led us here to rescue you," Zhao Dagang said, his tone brusque, reflecting his annoyance with Zhang Tao's attitude. "You should get on the bus quickly. We don't want any trouble if zombies show up."

"Exactly, exactly!" Despite his reservations about the three-person rescue team—comprising a mix of country bumpkins and oddballs, with the only seemingly normal member being a young girl—Zhang Tao couldn't help but feel a sense of disdain. However, recognizing the lingering danger, he promptly climbed into the vehicle to wait.